From Calm to Crisis

Using ABA and Neuropsychology to Understand Sudden Emotional Dysregulation in Autism

This 1-CEU on-demand webinar helps behavior analysts better understand why some autistic individuals may appear regulated one moment and then quickly become overwhelmed, distressed, or unable to regain emotional control.

The course uses an integrated ABA and neuropsychological lens to examine rapid emotional escalation, including situations where the visible trigger may seem small, the escalation appears sudden, or recovery takes longer than expected. Participants will consider how executive functioning, sensory processing, anxiety, communication demands, emotional regulation, reinforcement history, and internal overload may interact in real time.

The webinar builds on established ABA principles while adding neuropsychological concepts that can strengthen case conceptualization, functional assessment, and intervention planning. Special attention is given to antecedent conditions, setting events, motivating operations, delayed recovery, replacement skill deficits, and the way positive excitement can sometimes produce dysregulation similar to frustration or distress.

Format: On-demand webinar
Length: 50 minutes
CEUs: 1 BACB CEU
Presenter: Dr. Vanetta LaRosa
Audience: BCBAs, BCaBAs, behavior analysts, clinical supervisors, ABA agency leaders, school-based behavior consultants, and autism service providers

Learning Objectives

• Identify neuropsychological factors that may contribute to sudden emotional dysregulation in people with autism.
• Analyze rapid emotional escalation using ABA concepts, including antecedents, setting events, motivating operations, reinforcement history, and skill deficits.
• Understand how sensory overload, executive dysfunction, anxiety, communication demands, frustration, and excitement can contribute to emotional breakdowns.
• Recognize why positive events can sometimes trigger dysregulation in the same way as negative or frustrating events.
• Develop individualized prevention and intervention strategies that support regulation, communication, coping, and recovery.

Disclaimer

This training is for professional education only. Assessment instruments are discussed only at the level of general clinical purpose and treatment-planning implications. No proprietary test items, scoring forms, protocols, stimulus materials, rating-scale items, or administration procedures are reproduced. Participants should consult official publishers, manuals, and professional standards for authorized test administration, scoring, and interpretation.